The Golden Holly

About this work

The branch stands upright and almost alone, so the eye travels straight up the stem from the cut end, pausing at the berries before reaching the last leaves near the top edge. About ten leaves alternate left and right, each one glossy and dark, with the stiff, wavy outline that makes holly instantly recognisable. Their spines are traced in raised gold leaf, which turns every point into a small spark of light. Two clusters of red berries, the upper one sitting a little to the left, give the picture its warmth; against the deep forest-green ground they are the brightest note on the sheet. Up close, fine engraved lines shade each leaf like an antique hand-coloured plate. Seen from across the room, the branch becomes a calm, upright sprig of green, red and gold, festive without any fuss.

Bringing evergreens indoors in midwinter is a very old habit. The Romans are said to have decorated their homes with green boughs during Saturnalia, their December festival, and in medieval England holly was hung in houses and churches at Christmas and sung about in carols, some of which survive in 15th-century manuscripts. One detail of the plant is easy to miss: holly trees are either male or female, and only the female ones bear berries, usually when a male tree grows near enough for bees to carry its pollen. A branch heavy with red fruit, like this one, therefore comes from a female plant. The spines vary too, since leaves high up on old trees are often smoother than the prickly ones lower down.

From Advent to Twelfth Night it belongs on a winter mantelpiece or in an entrance hall, where guests see it first, yet the deep green and gold carry it through the rest of the year in a study or dining room. Cream, olive, forest-green and charcoal walls all flatter it. A slim brass or black frame keeps the look classic, and a wide cream mat adds the feel of an old book plate. Hang it beside Mistletoe in Gold for a festive pair, or near Holly and Pine Garland for a fuller seasonal wall. Printed from the 7168 × 10752 px file, it stays sharp to about 60 × 90 cm. A Frame TV version with a gallery mat is included.